


the red of her lips, the blue in his eyes

by mune_ga_hachikire_sude



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, its mostly just kaimei angst all around just a warning, kaito just overthinking everything, the cryptonloids as a family is my biggest weakness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mune_ga_hachikire_sude/pseuds/mune_ga_hachikire_sude
Summary: compilation of kaimei drabbles, vignettes, and just one shots in general. characterization may be inconsistent but that's the beauty of vocaloid, baby.6. waltz 1/2 - “shall we dance?” the prince held out his hand. gripping her dagger on one hand, the noblewoman took his hand with the other. “of course,” she crooned.
Relationships: Kaito/Meiko (Vocaloid)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. rain.

**Author's Note:**

> kaimei has been my comfort ship for the past 2 years and i still haven't written anything for them. for shame.
> 
> hopefully this paves the way for me to start writing more hm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rain. kaito's usually not the type to worry. but it's already 3 am, the storm is raging on, and meiko has yet to come home.

Normally, Kaito loved the rain. 

He loved hearing the constant and steady raindrops pit pattering on the rooftops and how it calmed and soothed his soul, how the white noise drowned out all the problems and worries in his mind, how everything seems to just...stop. It made everything feel comfy and cool as well, and boy was he a huge sucker for the cold, what a perfect excuse for hot chocolate and cuddling. 

But tonight...well, tonight is different. 

How the violent raindrops pelting his rooftops seem to echo the beating of his heart, how the chaotic noise that used to soothe him now unnerved and irked him to no end, and how the bitter cold made him feel lonely without anyone to cuddle with. 

Without her to cuddle with. 

He looks down at his phone for the umpteenth time. No messages. No missed calls. No anything from her. The time flashed 3:09 AM in a large and stark white font, though it may as well be a time bomb by how he seemed to be on edge as the seconds, minutes, hours ticked by. 

He takes a deep breath, then two, then three, to try and calm himself. 

She's fine. She's fine. She’s fine.

Kaito usually isn’t the type to worry, far from it, actually. He knew Meiko was a strong woman, perfectly capable of defending herself and others, even more so than he himself could ever do. 

If anything she herself was almost always the one who defended him on several occasions, from childhood up to now. From knocking out their old school bullies to expertly diffusing a hostage situation. She was a strong person, inside and out.

But it's already 3 AM, the rain shows no sign of stopping any time soon, and Meiko has yet to come home. 

He scolds himself for the umpteenth time. This is his fault. That he’s worrying. That Meiko left. His fault. His fault. His fault. His fault.

It was a fight—a dumb, stupid fight about…., _something_. He doesn’t even remember what, it probably wasn’t something they cared about too much, something insignificant, but they were tired and stressed after their rehearsals for their next concert and the pressure got to them. The dam broke, words were thrown around, and before he knew it, Meiko grabbed her keys and coat and bolted out, muttering something about having a drink and to not wait for her.

It’s not unusual for her to go out for drinks alone, he knows and trusts her enough to know it’s just her way of cooling off and gathering her thoughts, and he understands that.

Yet...she always came home no matter what, and when she didn't, she would have at least called, or texted him. At this point, a _"Hey, it's raining really hard so I'm crashing at Haku's for the night,"_ or _"Hey, it's Luka. Your girlfriend is passed out drunk on my couch."_ would have been better than nothing.

Anything would have been better than nothing.

Kaito takes a deep breath, and another as his eyes land on the black, rectangular object on the coffee table—the TV remote— right next to the red coffee mug and an emptied pint of _Häagen-Dazs_ he had forgotten to clean out. _That was my last pint, isn’t it…..?_ He remembers wryly as he picks up the remote and sits back, making a mental reminder to buy groceries tomorrow as he turns the TV on. He could use another pint to ease his worries right now…

But for now, he’ll have to rely on television to distract him, until if—

He shakes his head frantically. Not if. _When_ Meiko comes back for sure. Kaito relaxes his previously tensed shoulders as he tries to focus on...whatever’s on.

It looked like a drama of sorts. A hospital room, machines beeping, the lights dimmed, in the middle of the room, was a man and a woman. The woman was pale and bandaged up, connected and being kept alive by the machines. A man lay beside her, holding her hand, brushing her hair, muttering sweet and soothing words, barely concealing his shattered heart.

_“The crash wasn’t your fault….”_

_“I should’ve— I should’ve stopped you, From walking out. From getting into that car. I should’ve done_ **_something_ ** _. I’m…a useless husband, aren’t I?”_

_“You aren’t...I love you, so much.”_

_“I...I love you too, so much.”_

_“...I think it’s time to say goodbye—”_

With shaky hands holding the remote, he shuts the TV off. He heaves in the darkness of their empty living room, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying not to let his tears spill out.

What if...what if that will happen to them?

 _A car accident in the heavy rains of the darkness of the night, a phone call or a knock at the door, a policeman looking grim. A white and dull hospital room, beeping monitors, denial and tearful farewells_ _—_

Kaito jolts back into reality as he hears a noise, a quiet noise, as if it were pleading not to be heard. He gulps when he hears it’s the creaking of a door—their front door, specifically, and his heart pounds so hard and so harshly he feels it will burst out of his chest and the floor and his surroundings will collapse in and of itself and swallow him whole.

 _It’s just a door, Kaito, get a hold of yourself!_ He grits his teeth and scolds himself as he gets up from the couch, warrily, anxiously, his chest pounding so hard he couldn’t tell the difference between it and the heavy rain. 

As he comes closer, the door opens wider and wider, briefly stopping each time it creaks, as if it was flinching, before a figure appears, and it becomes increasingly clear who it is. “Meiko….?”

She turns to him, startled, eyes wide and cheeks red.

He lets out a quiet exhale, his shoulders slumping, all his worries and anxieties melting away as this fiery and passionate force in his life has returned. “Meiko.”

"Hi," she smiles at him and tilts her head sheepishly, causing several droplets of water to fall off from her soaked locks. “You’re still awake? I told you not to wait for me. It’s rather late…” She scolds _him_ , her unusually soft and quiet voice was drowned out by the raging storm outside. 

Meiko seemed drunk. Maybe not the usual completely-wasted-and-puking-everywhere kind of drunk, but she had a sway in her step and her speech slurred, just a little bit, bordering between tipsy and drunk.

"Hi," he returns, though it came out more as a sigh of relief. She is here. Soaking wet, sure, tired, probably, but alive and well. Not a scratch, nor a bruise. She is _here_ and she’s _safe._ And for now, that’s what really matters.

“Sorry I got home late, I took a walk to clear my mind, had to stop by a store too…”

"You _—_ you walked all the way home? It's raining! At three in the morning!" It’s Kaito’s turn to scold Meiko now.

“It’s not that long of a walk.”

“What about your car?!”

"Tonio wouldn’t let me drive~ he says it’s too dangerous…” Meiko taps her chin, trying to remember what her bartender told her, “he told me he’ll keep an eye on the car until I pick it up sober.”

"Still! You could've called me or took the bus or-" 

"Aw, you were worried about me,” Meiko simply says, smiling at him, almost smugly as a finger teasingly pokes his chest, unaware of the turmoil her partner had just gone through worrying about her.

Kaito frowns, almost pouting, “Maybe I was,” he admits, which he usually doesn’t do, but he’s tired of holding his anxieties in, and he feels his eyes tearing up. “I….I was really worried about you, Mei.”

That throws Meiko off as she notices Kaito’s expression and she pulls back her finger, “Kaito, I’m _—_ I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“It’s...it’s fine, as long as you’re here now,” he smiles and holds her hand, remembering she had been walking in the rain. “You’re still wet…. let’s get you dried up, shall we?”

He turns and begins to make his way to the bathroom to prepare some towels and a hot bath when Meiko grabs his hand, stopping him.

"Wait," she says, taking a step back as she pulled something out of her drenched coat. 

"Here. I...um, bought something for you." Red dusted her cheeks and she looked away as she gently shoved the plastic bag to him, he wasn't sure if she was blushing due to the cold, or if she was drunk, or out of embarrassment. Maybe it's a combination of all three. "As a "sorry" gift...I guess you can say." 

He frowned. She walked in the rain for who knows how long in the night just for some "sorry" gift? 

"You don't need to do something like this-" 

He takes a peek in the bag, scanning the items as his eyes brightens from surprise, a fond, lopsided smile gracing his lips.

“I remembered...we ran out of ice cream,” Meiko adds quickly, shifting, "I didn't know what flavor you liked so I just chose whatever," she shrugs, trying to look nonchalant.

He grins and tears up _—_ in a good way this time. 

She was lying. All of his favorite flavors were here. “Meiko...thank you.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Meiko returns the smile, and seems to have sobered up a bit, her smile a little brighter. Though, he couldn’t help but notice her shivers…

Kaito pulls his scarf off of him, his staple item since children, almost never seen without, and wraps it around Meiko as he begins escorting her to the bathroom. "You need to get all dried up before you catch _—_ " 

Meiko stops and sneezes. 

" _—_ a cold."

They stare at each other.

She blinks. 

He blinks. 

Then, she laughs. And he couldn't help but laugh as well. 

"No ice cream for you, then."


	2. yearning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yearning. death!kaito au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will be a one shot compilation from now on thank you

“Reuniting with a precious person, huh? I’d like that too, someday…”

Death had once found himself saying those words, to a boy who he had taken too soon, a young man barely the age of fifteen, the last flame put out in what seemed to be the never ending chain of massacres of the masses-- a selfish princess’ disregard for life, the deaths of her people and the women of a neighboring nation, the war that ensued, and finally, the revolution.

The people successfully rebelled, the princess was to be executed, and all was well.

Yet instead, it was her brother, the lost prince of the fallen kingdom, a kind and selfless boy, saving his dear twin from Death’s grips, and instead took the brunt of it all.

“I’d like to reunite with her someday,” the boy said, his expression twisted into a bittersweet smile, as he watched his beloved sister on the beach, watching a bottle float into the sea. “and play with her again.”

Death heard the girl’s wails, how her voice cracked and her breathing heaved heavily, her expression twisting something pained; yearning of a lost loved one, the guilt and realization of her sins.

Death cringed.

This was one of the aspects of his job that he was not very proud of.

The grief and heartbreak. The overwhelming anger and sadness consuming one’s soul, rendering them a sobbing mess and a husk of who they once were. The desperate cries and pleas, _why them? Why not take me instead?_

It’s a feeling Death knew all too well.

As he had not always been an immortal harbinger of death. He, too, had been a boy who had adored a girl, who adored him the same way. His soulmate. His other half.

_“When will you return?” a girl quietly inquired, arms embracing his chest, his hands clasping her own._

_“I don’t know,” he is not lying._

_War is unpredictable and cruel. It takes, and takes, and takes until one side has nothing left and the other side is declared a victor, counting the few blessings they have left, despite suffering just as much. He doesn’t know when the war would be over, nor if he would be able to come home at all._

_She understood his thoughts, and buried her face in his chest, basking in his smell, his presence, until he ripped away from her yet again._

_“Please come home,” she murmured._

_He returns her embrace, taking in the smell of her hair, her warmth, her everything._

_“I promise.”_

A promise he would never fulfil.

_He always worried his life was on the line, he never considered hers would be too._

_By the time he ran back to his village, his home, where she promised to welcome him back, everything was gone._

_Not even the rain was able to mask the smell of burnt wood and bones, and it would haunt him for the rest of his days. Everything was charred black and crows littered the area, pecking on burnt skin and flesh, the black smoke covered the already grey skies. There was nothing left in the rubble of the place he had once considered his home. Nothing except-_

_He screamed until his voice gave out._

“I didn’t know Grim Reaper himself cared about other people,” mused the boy, the servant of evil, as he calls himself. Death questions himself what really is evil.

“You’d be surprised.” 

“Well, if it helps, they say if you write a wish in a bottle and throw it into the ocean, it will come true,” the boy suggested.

At the time, Death scoffed, and proceeded to lead the boy to the afterlife.

Another silly, whimsical practice by the fickle humans. Death thought, as he stared at the bottle in his hand. Though he understood why, for he had been a human once.

He hears footsteps quietly sounding against the smooth white sand, the sound of the waves barely concealing it. Death ignored it. It may be just another human who couldn’t even see him anyway-

“Kaito.”

Shock paints Death’s otherwise straight face, and he looks up. Straightened lips curl into a smile, and color returns to his features, for the first time in centuries.

At that moment, the figure standing by the ocean waves was not a feared grim reaper that reeked of death and misery.

He takes off his mask, and in Death’s place, is a boy.

When there’s death, there’s also life.

He had always wondered who his counterpart was. The ones whose creations he had graciously and gently led to the afterlife. His rival, yet his partner as well. The light to his darkness, the day to his night. 

But Death looks at the person standing in front of him. The warmth she exudes, her soft smile. She glowed a soft red, against the dark sky subtly, in contrast to his darkness.

“...Meiko.”

“Welcome home.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes the chapter references the servant/daughter of evil but pretend it's a standalone series of songs instead of being part of evillious as a whole thank you


	3. i love you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “i love you” - last words, or the lack thereof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally a drabble i had on twitter at 2 am that went out of hand. really weird how inspiration strikes.

Kaito loves telling Meiko he loved her, every chance he gets. Different “I love you”s are littered throughout the day, and not a day goes too quiet. From soft murmurs in the mornings when the sunlight seeps out of the drapes and onto their pillows, through giggle-filled whispers accompanied with sticky and cold kisses in a hot day as they snack on a frozen treat together, and in the most intimate of nights, where their skins touch and their heavy breaths sounding together in harmony, his gasps almost a mantra as his lips feather her shoulders with kisses.

She asks him why, at some point.

“One day,” he smiles, his lips finding its way to her forehead, strands of brown hair tickling his nose in the way that he’s fond of. “I may not be able to say it.”

She blinks, confused. He laughs, a teasing laugh, and as always, he says it.

“I love you, Meiko.”

She playfully shoves him, and jokingly, she says, “Well, I don’t.”

It was lighthearted banter, ones they’ve always had, easily forgettable snippets of their lives in the grand scheme of things.

She never really got what he meant by it. She didn’t think it would matter.

Until one day, it’s quiet.

“I love you too, Kaito.”

She said, to nothing and no one in particular, hearing and watching the words and white smoke disappear into the cold air.

Too quiet. 

If only gravestones could talk back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do u prefer angsty or fluffy kaimei. idk i really like fluff but my writing gravitates towards angst more afjsjfaks ihate it here


	4. "because i love you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "because i love you." - once upon a time, there lived a prince and his loyal knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no idea what i'm doing

“Let’s run away, your highness.”

The chaos and bloodshed beyond the gold-encrusted walls were getting harder to ignore, even the young knight with eyes like rubies, usually reserved and hardened she is, flinched, as a brick had found its way crashing through the windows and onto the carpet just next to her feet.

They didn’t have much time left.

“There’s no point,” the prince murmured, still glued onto his seat, usually vibrant sapphire eyes looked dull. “My father is dead, my army has either been defeated or swayed to join the other side, the people and the nobles have my uncle’s support for the throne…he has won, hasn’t he?”

Meiko remained stiff, her expression almost as grim as the prince’s. She had been the only one left, after her comrades and superiors had left to support the opposition, “the true king”, they had claimed, after the man had graciously handed them a large sum of coins. 

Their sheer treachery...it _disgusted_ her. “Yes, sire.” 

Kaito held his head. “It’s over. I am going to die.”

“Then let’s run away,” she repeated, resting her hand on the table as she looked at him in the eyes. 

“No,” he shook his head, “you should run. It’s over for me.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“You _should_ ,” he raised his voice, just a little bit, out of pressure, out of fear. He had lost far too many things, far too many people, he may as well break if he lost her too. His knight, his best friend, his...

Well, it’s too late for that now.

“Leave.”

“I won’t.”

Sapphire eyes clashed with ruby ones and tension quickly bubbled over the surface. “Why,” he grunted, “do you want to stay with me badly?”

“Because,” she begins, her facade gradually cracking until years upon years old pent up frustration and yearning spill out and seep onto her words. Since childhood they had been friends, and ever since she has sworn to knighthood she had known who she’ll protect to the very end, and why she would.

**_“I love you!”_ **

The words lingered, quite a bit into the air, and it was suffocating. Not even the wild roars of battle and death from a distance could break the thick ice as those words sunk and seeped deeper into their minds.

“I don’t want you to die,” she continued, her voice breaking with every other word uttered, “Even if you do have nothing...well, you still have me. I’m here for you. Let us escape with nothing, and start anew.”

The prince stared at her, stunned, before he smiled, relief washing over his face.

“If you put that way…” Kaito, for the first time a certain glimmer and shine returning in his eyes. Slowly, he held his hand out, the same way the blue prince did for many ladies in the ballroom of this very palace, but this time, it was not for waltzing. And in the place of Prince Kaito, stands simply put, Kaito the peasant.

The knight may not have been one of the many women the prince had danced with, but playfully, she took a bow, and took his hand gracefully.

“Then, let’s run away together.”


	5. stay-at-home parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stay-at-home parent - in which meiko comes home tired from work and is greeted by a pleasant sight. fluff, for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate writing but i hate the fact that there aren’t enough kaimei fics on this goddamn website even more
> 
> so here's some fluff

A sigh escaped Meiko’s lips as she slid the front door open, perhaps a bit too forcefully, to the point where it creaked and squeaked loudly-- a goddamn pain to her ears and already bad-enough headache. She muttered a curse, then another for good measure, just under her breath as to not be heard by anyone else in the home as she carelessly tossed her heels--6 inch pain traps is more like it-- and walked inside.

The house was dark...as it should be, she thought, as she came home rather late after she stayed a bit later during rehearsals for her new album. Life for a struggling musician isn’t easy, and she was exhausted beyond anything, but it pays the bills, and she supposed that’s good enough.

Probably in her tired daze, she had failed to notice the house was not, in fact, dark, as the flickering light from the television lit up the hallway just enough that it’s noticeable, background noise and a little static can be heard.

An irritated thought crossed her mind.  _ I told him to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time... _

Huffing, she stomped over to the living room, preparing to catch her husband and children red-handed and awake at this ungodly hour but--

She stopped at the sight. 

And smiled.

Laying on the floor, on the top of a nest of blankets, pillows and stuffed toys, was her husband, and on top of him were their three children. 6-year-old Miku laying on his chest, and the 4 year old twins, Rin and Len, lying on either of his arms. 

It was a heartwarming sight, and for a moment, Meiko felt her exhaustion go away. She quickly fished through her purse for her phone and promptly snapped a photo of the scene. 

“I saw that.” Kaito opened an eye as the corner of his lips quirked up into a slight smile when he saw Meiko drop her phone, startled.

“You startled me,” he let out a quiet chuckle as Meiko pouted at him, cheeks puffed and lips pressed together. “You should’ve put them to bed hours ago.”

“I know, but,” in feigning weakness, he tried to lift an arm, the one that was under a little blonde 4-year-old with a bow as almost as big as her head, fast asleep while sucking on her thumb. The movement didn’t seem to bother the child much, only stirring a bit. “they’ve gotten too heavy, I’m pretty sure kids do that, you know, grow.”

Meiko crouched down, smiling at her husband’s little predicament. “I’ve read the child development books too, yes,” she rolled her eyes, “the ones  _ you _ bought in a panic.”

“They were helpful! And don’t pretend you didn’t read them too!”

Miku stirred from Kaito’s chest, much to their panic and they were forced to abruptly stop their playful bickering. 

“Sorry,” Kaito says a bit more quietly, “they fell asleep on me while we were watching a movie,” he laughs, “They were knocked out pretty early on though, don’t worry.”

“Well, that’s something,” she sighs, “still, we should get them to bed.”

“Absolutely,” moving a bit, Kaito realized he couldn’t move much still. “Help me carry them?”

A chuckle came out of her lips, “of course,” she says, picking up their son, a blonde boy with quiet snores as he immediately held onto his mother even in his sleep.

Two heads of blonde and turquoise hair rest on either of his shoulders as Kaito carries both his daughters with his two arms. With a nod, the two begin their way to the children’s room. After going through the trouble of dressing them in their nightwear and tucking them in their beds, Kaito quietly shut the door, flinching a bit when it creaks. The couple looked at each other, before heaving a sigh together. Lord knows what would’ve happened, had the disaster children woken up…

“I’m tired,” yawning, Meiko turned to the direction of their bedroom and started walking. “I’m going to bed.”

Kaito watched his wife walk away for a bit, before smiling, and started walking to catch up with her, grabbing her hand and locking it with his own.

“Maybe tonight we can try for a fourth--”   


“Absolutely not!”

“I’m kidding!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think miku + the kagamines are their children, with len being a momma’s boy and miku and rin having their dad wrapped around their fingers i just think. It’s cute
> 
> Their fourth hypothetical child wouldve been cv04 but oh well guess we’ll never see him in the light of day


	6. waltz 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “shall we dance?” the prince held out his hand. gripping her dagger on one hand, the noblewoman took his hand with the other. “of course,” she crooned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wrote the summary before i wrote the chapter, and the whole thing ended up completely different than what i thought i was writing, so think of this chapter as glorified clickbait thanks
> 
> also. warning? lots of exposition. this was supposed to be a more fleshed out and multichapter au but i! do not time for that so let me. squeeze all that info inside this teeny tiny two shot. i dont know. maybe i'll write something a little more lengthy for this au someday

She watched the red of her wine swivel around in her glass like a sick lullaby as she shook the glass ever so slightly, perhaps out of boredom, perhaps out of nervousness. A disinterested noblewoman standing alone, in a sea of people in their fancy attires flaunting their wealth and their carefully rehearsed dance moves and awkward small talk as the calming music guided them into the dance floor, waiting for some gentleman to lead her away into the night. Someone unassuming, someone simply ordinary, a red rose growing in isolation, not meant to be handled so carelessly.

After all, if you handle a rose incorrectly, you would get pierced by its thorns.

Red eyes moved from the dark of her wine into the many faces surrounding her, carefully assessing for any suspicious movement, until, finally, her eyes land onto a hair of blue, waltzing with a young maiden whose long, deep turquoise hair were neatly tied into two twin tails, her hair flowing smoothly along with her dress as the two moved gracefully to the merry tune of the song. 

A certain darkness overcame her heart and her eye twitched at the sight, just slightly as she turned away, pretending to be interested in some mini-croissants one of the servants were offering. 

“It’s not like you to be jealous, Red,” murmured a deep, nearly husky voice from behind her, his footsteps as nimble and quiet as the night.

“Not jealous, Vi,” Meiko simply said, quickly, as she popped the small pastry into her mouth. “I simply don’t trust anyone with the Prince.”

“So, jealous,” whistled Gakupo, taking a sip from his champagne.

“Not, if it’s my job,” she replied, each word slowly emphasized through gritted teeth of annoyance. 

“Right,” he chuckled, but ultimately decided to drop the subject, at the same time he dropped his teasing demeanor and his expression turned more serious, almost a stark contrast to what he seemed like a minute ago. “Any progress?”

She took a moment to answer, briefly scanning the room, before shaking her head, “No suspicious activity that I’m aware of. Have you gotten to Pink?”

Red. Violet. Pink. Some nicknames-- or, as they refer to it, their code names-- between three friends….and comrades, who had grown up and trained together with the sole duty of protecting the Royal Family without arousing suspicion or attention, disguising themselves as a typical nobility with a certain closeness to the Royal Family, or more specifically, the Prince, as they protect him from the shadows.

There had been a threat on the Prince’s life scheduled on his birthday celebration, and while most have not been aware of it, not even the prince, the three assassins-- as they’re often called-- are on high alert.

“If she had anything substantial to say I wouldn’t have bothered going to you.”

Meiko rolled her eyes at the blatant implication, but decided to bite her tongue and hold back a quip. “The threat was a bluff, then.”

“We can’t say that yet,” Gakupo sighed, “anyway, keep a closer eye on his highness. God knows you’re his favorite, after all.”

She quirked a brow, perhaps more out of irritation at the implications than actual confusion, “now what’s that supposed to mean?”

By the time she turned to look at him, he had already been walking away. “I think we all know what that means,” he said quite casually, giving her a wink as he made his way….to where? She didn’t know, nor did she care. Probably approach a group of desperate noblewomen and flirt his way into their bedchambers under a pretense of finding information, and no doubt be under the wrath of their seething husbands and suitors the day after.

Suddenly, she felt eyes bore into the back of her head, and instinctively, she gripped the dagger from inside her sleeves, just in case, she heaved.

“Meiko!” A familiar voice chirped, his voice a bit deeply charming yet also clumsy, Meiko relaxed her previous tensed shoulders as she turned to face the person.

Rather, the prince himself, grinning from ear to ear just seeing the noblewoman of red. Short blue hair, neatly brushed to the side, and sapphire eyes that reminded her of the deepest and bluest of oceans on a sunny day.

Sighing, Meiko looked at him, “Do you need anything, your highness?”

“Is there such a need for formalities? I’ve told you to call me simply Kaito countless times.”

“That’s not very appropriate.”

“You’re being cold all of a sudden. Did I do something wrong again?”

She bit her lip as she stared at him, irritation palpable in her expression. “I’m on watch. For your sake. You know that.”

“Surely, you’re better off watching over me much closer, yes?” Kaito asked, giving her an exaggerated bow as he offered a hand to her. “Well then, shall we dance, my lady?”

Meiko continued staring at him, tight lipped, hand still tightly gripping the dagger inside her sleeve. Eventually, she sighed just as the music piece playing had concluded, signaling a new one. She let go of the dagger, and laid her hand atop his for him to take. “Of course.”

Wordlessly, Kaito merely smiled as he led her into the center of the dancefloor as they began their waltz….and apparently, his badgering.

“Are you mad at me?” He questioned as they did a twirl. 

“Why would I be?” She fired back, as he gently dipped her down, and for a brief moment their faces were close, far too close, before Kaito pulled her back up.

“You’re doing- you’re doing that face. The face you make when you’re unhappy,” he gave her a pout in the brief moment they face one another.

“I don’t-” he gave her a twirl, “I don’t do a face when I’m unhappy.”

“But you don’t deny you’re unhappy with me,” he faced her again, this time with a more serious expression. “What did I do?”

“Nothing! I’m-” she pressed her lips together and looked down.

The prince smiled, “you’re jealous, aren’t you?” They take another turn, another spin.

He felt her stiffen in his embrace. She wasn’t looking at him, not anymore. “So what if I am?”

Kaito almost stopped in his tracks, turning stiff himself, before continuing on. Spin, turn. Turn, spin. Movements that had been drilled into him since he was a young boy, it’s almost instinctual. “So you do love me.”

The piece reaches its climax, another spin, another turn. If one were to observe these two, one would say their movements had gotten more passionate, more pronounced than when they started.

“You know the rules,” she whispered. Another spin, before she turned to face him, a bittersweet smile gracing her features. “I’m not-- I’m not supposed to. Neither are you, your highness.”

Another turn. “But I do.” The piece reached its end, and another piece started with soft strums of the violins and cellos. Instinctively, Kaito held Meiko closer than before...perhaps, a bit closer than what most people would be comfortable with. He whispered, quietly, into the softness of her hair. “I...I love you, Meiko, so much, and-- and I can’t control that.”

Meiko heaves against his shoulder, holding him close. “neither can I...but-”

She stopped. She had a bad feeling.

“...Meiko?” Kaito whispered, concern deeply coating his words as he felt his beloved stiffen in such a manner that told him…“is something wrong?”

She shushed him as she quickly looked around, searching through a flurry of different faces, trying to figure out what was amiss, anyone or anything who looked out of place or suspicious, that it felt like looking for a needle-

She almost gasped as she ripped herself away from the prince and firmly grabbed his shoulders.

“Mei-?!”

Everything happened quickly.

Far too quickly.

A very brief glimmer, barely even flashing for a second appeared somewhere in the crowded ballroom full of several other shiny objects briefly glimmering as nobles and merchants flaunt their jewelry and wealth, however this….this glimmer was different.

“Watch out!”

A shove in the other direction as Meiko felt something poke her arm and she winced, quite a bit, at the slight pain.

The prince found himself on the ground, groaning as the crowd started to notice what was going on, gasps and hushed whispers filling the ballroom as they began to crowd around the prince, curious and concerned as to what was happening. It took a few moments for Kaito to realize what was happening, before frantically looking up and around, the crowd merely being an afterthought as he saw his partner with a somewhat pained expression. “Meiko!” He immediately jumped back to his feet as he noticed her stagger her steps.

“I’m fine!” she seethed through gritted teeth as she felt warmth spread on her arm, regaining her footing, she located the object-- something thin and small, almost unnoticeable, and pulled it out, quite harshly as quick as she could manage, and looking at the item.

It’s-

It’s a….

Meiko couldn’t even finish her thought before a certain darkness and blur started overwhelming her vision. This is bad, she thought, almost panicking as she found her limbs growing heavy.

This is really bad.

“Kai-”

Words left unfinished, as her world entirely went to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've already written out most of the second part actually but by god i had no idea how to end it. i'll figure it out somehow


End file.
